Six HBCU Players Are Chosen In MLB Draft

NEW HAVEN, Ct. — The 2006 Major League Baseball Draft was completed this past Wednesday. Six players from HBCUs were chosen in the two-day, 50-round draft. The following story is a brief synopsis of each chosen player in the order in which they were picked.

SS Zachary Penprase, Mississippi Valley State

(13th round, Philadelphia Phillies)

A native of Moorepark, Ca., Penprase was named to the 2006 All-SWAC First Team after helping lead the Delta Devils to their fourth consecutive SWAC East title.The nation’s stolen base leader (56), the junior shortstop also finished the regular season hitting .360 with 42 runs scored and 40 RBI’s.

OF Jeremy Jones, North Carolina A&T

(25th round, Colorado Rockies)

Jones had only two official at-bats in 2006 after injuring his wrist. Last year, Jones earned MEAC Player of the Year honors, broke the school record for hits in a season (82), led the Aggies to the MEAC Championship and helped the school earn its first-ever bid to the NCAA Tournament. He becomes the sixth player during head coach Keith Shumate’s 10-year stint at N.C. A&T to be drafted. Duron LaGrande was the last Aggie selected in the draft. The Montreal Expos (now the Washington Nationals) took him in the 10th round of the 2004 draft.

LHP Zach Baldwin, West Virginia State

(31st round, Washington Nationals)

A 6-foot-4 left-handed pitcher, Baldwin was 19-0 with 141 strikeouts in 149.1 innings during his two seasons in a Yellow Jacket uniform after transferring from Coastal Carolina. The Barboursville, WV native was the North Atlantic Region and WVIAC Pitcher of the Year in 2005 while being a 2nd team All-American selection.

C Bradley Roper-Hubbert, Alcorn State

(32nd round, New York Mets)

A transfer from Georgia State, the 6-foot-3, 215 pound junior backstop from Decatur, Ga. captured the SWAC’s Newcomer of the Year honors for 2006. An All-SWAC First Team selection, Roper-Hubbert also finished third in the conference in batting with a .435 average and was in the top ten (9th) among NCAA batters. He also had a .514 OB percentage.

3B Sanduan Dubose, Stillman College

(35th round, Milwaukee Brewers)

The Meridian, Miss. native led the Tigers in most offensive categories and was nationally ranked in the following NCAA categories: 4th in slugging percentage, 9th in home runs, and 10th in RBI. Dubose is the first Stillman athlete to be drafted by a pro sports franchise since Carl Hollis and Bernard Stranton were selected in the 1982 draft. Hollis was taken in the 18th round by the Mets and Stranton was picked in the 19th round by the Pirates.

OF Donald Green, Texas Southern

(39th round, New York Mets)

A junior from Baton Rouge, La., Green was named to the 2006 All-SWAC Second Team as an outfielder. He played in 43 games this season with a .300 average. Green had 20 RBI’s, 8 doubles, 3 triples, 1 home run and 25 base-on-balls this pass season. He also scored 24 runs with 16 steals. His 2006 game highs include 3 RBIs vs. Southern; 3 runs vs. Southern; 3 hits vs. Grambling, Southern and Baylor; 2 stolen bases in 6 games.